Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Food & Life FBI nabs alleged cannibal cop
Posted by Cliff Bostock @cliffbostock on Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 9:00 AM
- manolaw.blogspot.com
No taboo is as revolting — and fascinating — as cannibalism. The obvious example of that is the film "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). Hannibal Lecter's own smiling face is burned into the American psyche as a symbol of evil as potent as any religious one.
But cannibalism is not as uncommon a crime as one would like to presume and has occurred among civilized societies for centuries. (It has also had a role in rituals.)
The psychology behind modern cannibalism is vague, but practitioners usually say it provides sexual gratification. Some argue that the desire to consume flesh is inherent in human beings:
It’s unlikely that any consensus will ever be achieved concerning the underlying motivations and causes of cannibalistic behavior. Nevertheless, somewhere in the convoluted swirls of human thought there is a distinct connection between the motivations of a tribesman in New Guinea, who consumes the flesh of a departed loved one with solemnity and deep respect, and those of a deranged criminal who seeks some bizarre rush through the unspeakable crime of murdering and cannibalizing an innocent person.
Anyway, watch your back.
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